Yuan Handmade Organic Soaps from Taiwan

I was recently contacted by Reese and Origin Living Sdn. Bhd. to try some organic soaps from Taiwan. I am a self-proclaimed shower gel junkie but some recent forays into handmade natural soaps (e.g. Soapy natural handmade soaps) has left me nothing short of impressed. So I agreed to test run some Yuan Organic Soaps.

The Yuan Organic handmade soaps are made in Taiwan.You can read about its history at the Taipei Times article (link) or on its official website for those who can read and understand Chinese (link). Essentially, what these soaps are, are 100% natural and organic handmade soaps using natural ingredients and herbs and are touted to have curative effects for various skin problems.

Here is a link to a site I found which lists the various types of soaps available and what they are good for, for those of us who cannot understand Chinese. As Reese was so generous with the bars of soaps I couldn’t test every single one so I will be spreading the love as I go along 🙂
Here are some of the types of soap available.

Each of the soaps are made to address different skin problems ranging from acne to eczema and detoxification. There are chinese words etched into the surface of the soap which I believe distinguishes each different type but as I can’t read them, I can’t say for sure 😛

My Experience with Yuan Soap

I had been having some problem with a very itchy spot on my back that appeared out of the blue one day. It would be aggravated on days when it was hot or when I sweat and no amount of antibacterial creams would get rid of it. So, when I saw that Wild Mugwort can fight against eczema and itch cause by ringworm and that one of the soaps was made with Wild Mugwort, I figured I’d give it a try. Nothing ventured nothing gain right?

First off, if you don’t like herbal smells then these soaps are not for you, no matter how good they are. The smell of herbs is strong. However, I like herbal smells so I was fine about it. The soap is strong smelling on its own and leaves the bathroom with a lingering herby smell – I like it and find it refreshing.

The soap bar lathers up well enough and you only need very little to create some good lather for the whole body. It does not leave the skin feeling dry and this is important for me. I detest walking out of the shower feeling like my skin is pulled taut like I’ve been mummified (not that I know how it feels to be mummified 😛 )

Importantly, after using this soap for a week, I found that the dry itchy patch on my back is less itchy although the mark is still there. All this without the aid of topical creams. Am I sold? You bet!

The Wild Mugwort soap is also touted as a gentle wash for those who get acne, atopic dermatitis and eczema on the chest, back and cheeks; and is also suitable for those with strong body odour. If you know of someone who has body odour and don’t feel nice telling them so, perhaps a little gift of this soap may get the message across? 😉

I gave the Wild Patchouli soap to my brother in law to try since he has some problems with hand eczema. This soap is touted to help those with hand eczema and I wanted to see how he felt about it. 1 week after using the soap everyday, he tells me that whilst his eczema is not cured, the itch has lessened drastically to the point he hardly scratches at the skin anymore; and the dryness on the hands are no more. In fact, his skin has even smoothened out and stopped peeling. I was impressed and if I had not seen it for myself I would not have believed it!

I love finding a product that works as advertised and especially so when it is a handmade organic product from natural ingredients.

The other thing about Yuan Soap is that it appears to be gentle enough for using on the face as well. Well, being a bit of a mad scientist, I tested it out for a few days in the evenings. To my surprise, my facial skin did not feel dry or tight after using it. I’d been conditioned to think that soaps are bad for your face but I guess natural and organic soaps don’t fall into that category. Also, some stubbon spots have all but disappeared progressively over the course of usage. My skin has actually been feeling nice and smooth recently. Is it the soap? I can’t say for sure, but I only use this soap in the evenings and just my regular skincare regime and thus far, everything’s hunky dory yay! 🙂

I am particularly happy that this soap works so well on face and body because I need something for travel and this fits the bill nicely. I will have to put it in a plastic bag and make sure I air dry it every day after use but hey! Its a small price to pay for convenience! Reese tells me I can even use it for hair as she does. I tried the Wild Mugwort soap on my hair but it felt a bit rough. Perhaps I’ll have to try another.

The only thing I don’t quite like is that the soap seems to dissolve very fast. After a week, the size is markedly smaller which is different from the glycerin based Soapy soap that remained hard and kept its size longer. So I’d compare the Yuan soaps to Lush soaps because they have the same sort of crumbly texture. That said, after 2+ weeks now, the soap is still in no danger of disappearing so maybe its just illusory.

Yuan Organic handmade soaps are available at many health food stores around the Klang Valley of Malaysia and cost betweeen RM17.90 to RM29.50 a bar. Pricey I think, but hey, it worked to cure my itch, helps my face feel nice and smooth and my brother in law is all but sold on this soap, so I’m going to say its worth it! I can’t wait to use some of the other bars. If you are looking to try it, you may contact Reese (reeseong(at)yahoo.com) for a store close to you. I believe it is also available in Singapore but I will let a Singaporean confirm it in due course.

YOU MAY FIND THESE THESE POSTS HELPFUL TOO!

About Paris B

Paris B is a 40-something beauty and skincare enthusiast with a practical and very critical view of beauty products and the world of beauty. Her mission on My Women Stuff is to deliver clear, honest reviews and discussions about beauty trends and life, tempered with a healthy dose of humour. Let the buyer's remorse be ours not yours! When not testing the newest skincare creams and lotions, or playing with makeup, find her testing her culinary skills in the kitchen at Chez PB. Read more about us here or leave a comment below or connect with us on social media at Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

For me it’s not pricey at all, just gone through tht founder blog (sorry, the blog is written in chinese). They have gone through a long way to produce the organic soap. Wanna try it….i guess my son can use it as well, he got a really sensitive skin.

if you have those itches and if this can cure the itch, nothing is pricey!!! The soaps look so … authentic! LOL I can’t seem to put a nice adjective to it, but yeah, I can imagine the herbal smell you are talking about..looks like something worth looking into 🙂

I have customers leaving the soaps in the fridge to ensure the soaps last longer and apparently it works for them. Some leave the soaps on top of a loofah or sponge after showering, whatever melted goes to loofah…., some cut it and use it piece by piece since some only use it to wash their faces.

Handmade soap or natural soap need to be drained after used to help dry it. Used a good drainer, like the loofah which is good idea. Our humidity does make handmade soap softer, either glycerin or coldpressed soap. Coldpressed soap is suppose to be kept in the open so the soap cures and as it matures, the soap gets better…more lather and milder. The maturing part is true, the soap does get better. The humidity. well we can do very little about that. Air conditioning helps, lol.

A note on organic soap, the soap itself is not organic. It is the oil used to make the soap, so such soaps have to be labelled as Organic oil Soap, Handmade. There is a big thing world wide about labelling but this has been seriously implemented in 2010 as the date-line.

I was tempted to get it but there was nothing to entice me. If they smell delicious, I probably would have grabbed some earlier. But yeah, it’s pricey here too. So waiting for mine to arrive in the mailbox now. 😉

tx for the sharing! i’m so glad that Yuan soap is available in Malaysia now! i was thinking to buy it online @ PC home…cant wait to own it…is it possible tat you can pass me Reese email add?
tx again =)